Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of sheet metal bending tools in general and in particular to a one step chimney flashing fabrication tool.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,199,294; 5,836,198; 5,715,722; 5,024,076; 3,583,199, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse sheet metal bending tools.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical sheet metal bending tool that is specifically designed for the purpose of fabricating flashing strips for chimneys.
As anyone in the building trades is well aware, when a residence is equipped with a functional chimney, all building codes require that an exterior sheet metal flashing be installed around the periphery of the chimney at the juncture of the chimney with the roof line.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need in the building trades for a new and improved sheet metal bending tool that is specifically designed to quickly and easily form contoured flashing strips in a one step operation that can be performed on the roof adjacent to the chimney, and the provision of such a device is the stated objective of the present invention.
Briefly stated, the flashing fabrication tool that forms the basis of the present invention comprises in general a base plate member and a top plate member wherein, a stamped recess is formed in the top plate member and the bottom of the stamped recess is fixedly connected to the top of the base plate member.
As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the stamped recess is offset in a parallel relationship to the longitudinal axis of the top plate member to form two different depth bending slots wherein, the depth of the stamped recess defines the width of each of the bending slots.
Furthermore, the width of the stamped recess creates a stiffening rib for the top plate member relative to the base plate member to maintain the width of the openings on the outboard ends of the fabrication tool when subjected to the bending of pre-cut strips of sheet metal to fabricate flashing strips for the periphery of chimney stacks on a roof line of a house or the like.